Pelicans 111, Pistons 106 (OT)
Jason Smith scored 22 points and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds and Ryan Anderson recovered from a slow start to finish with 22 points as host New Orleans needed overtime to knock off Detroit.
Jrue Holiday added 19 points and a game-high eight assists for the Pelicans, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Tyreke Evans, who was expected to miss up to two weeks after spraining an ankle against Oklahoma City on Friday, came off the bench to contribute 14 points and seven rebounds for New Orleans, which outworked the Pistons on the glass 51-43.
Greg Monroe finished with a game-high 28 points to go with 10 rebounds and Brandon Jennings totaled 25 points, six steals and five boards for Detroit, which has dropped three straight following a four-game winning streak. Rodney Stuckey, who missed the previous two games with a knee injury, returned for the Pistons and scored 20 points off the bench.
Josh Smith kicked off overtime with a 3-pointer to give Detroit its first
lead since the first quarter but Anderson's pair of long-range makes
pushed New Orleans back in front for good. Jennings hit a runner off the
glass to pull the Pistons within 108-106 with 11.3 ticks remaining
before Evans hit a pair of free throws to seal the win.
Evans and Holiday combined for 23 first-half points and eight assists to give the Pelicans a 57-51 lead at the half and New Orleans pushed its lead to nine points entering the final stanza. Detroit opened the fourth on a 9-0 run to knot the game at 83 with 8:44 left and while the Pelicans would extend their lead to five on two separate occasions late, four straight points from Smith evened things at 96 with 1:19 to play and ultimately forced the extra frame.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Pelicans have beaten Detroit in three straight meetings and five in a row on their home court. ... New Orleans has won four games this season when giving up 100 or more points after only prevailing twice all of last year when allowing opponents to reach triple digits. ... Anderson had just four points on 1-of-5 shooting in the first half before recovering to play a key factor down the stretch for the Pelicans.